Weft-detecting mechanism



- I'm/5N TO}? S. A. NELSON I WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM June 2 6, 1928.

Filed Dec. 1, 1925 a Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 8/1 NUEL ,2 N51. SON

Jpne 26, 1928.

s. A. NELSON WEFT DETECTING MECHANISM Filed Dec. 1, 1925 ii Sheets-Sheet3 INVENTOB SAMUEL H. NELSON Patented June 26, 1928.

SAMUEL A. NELSON, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CROMPTON &

KNOWLES LOOM WORKS, MASSACHUSETTS.

Applicationfiled December Ehis invention relates to a weft detectingmechanism for an automatic weft-replenish- 1 ing drop-box loom.

It has been heretofore proposed to provide a single weft detector whichmay be moved to cooperate with a selected dropbox and to thereaftermaintainsaid detector in cooperative relation with the selected drop-boxas the boxes are shifted vertically to bring the indicated shuttle torunning position. V

A mechanism of this general character is shown in the prior patent toRyon, No. 1,205,792, issued November 21, 1916.

It is the general object of my present invention to improve thepositioning mechanism shown in the above mentioned patent, andparticularly to provide positively actuated devices for moving thedetector in either direction to cooperate witha selected drop box.

' A further object is to provide an improved mechanism for positivelymaintaining said weft detector in such cooperative relation with thedrop-box as the latter is thereafter moved to bring shuttle to runningposition.

My invention further relates to certain arrangements and combinations ofparts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown inthe drawings in which- Fig.1 is aside elevation of parts of a loom embodying my improvements, withthe drop-boxes shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of parts of the mechanism forselectively positioning the weft detector andfor thereafter maintainingits relation to the drop-boxes;

Figs. 3 and 4 are detail sectional plan views taken along the line 3- 3in Fig. 2, and the line 4t in Fig. 1 respectively; Fig. 5 is a partialplan view of the pattern chain driving sprocket;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation thereof, and Fig. 7 is a side elevation. of acylinder gear.

Referring to the drawings, 1 have shown a portion of a loom frame 10having a lay 11 pivotally mounted thereon in the usual manner. DropboXes 12 are mounted for sethe indicated OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ACORPORATION OF WEFT-DETECTING MECHANISM.

1', 1925. Serial No. 72,584.

lective vertical movement on the lay, said drop-boxes being supported bythe usual lifter rod 13 which is connected at its lower end through alink 14 to a floating lever 15.

The lever 15 is provided with a stud 16 slidable in a fixed verticalslot- 17, and is connected by links 18 and 19 to bell-cranks 20 and 21.These bell-cranks are connected at their upper ends by vibrator links 22and 23 to vibrator gears 24 mounted on the usual vibrator levers 25which may be raised or lowered to cause the vibrator gears to engage theupper or lower cylinder gears 26 and 27. -The vibrator levers 25 aremoved vertically by pattern controlled levers 28- connected to thevibrator levers by links 29. The levers 28 are selectively raised andlowered by a pattern chain driven by sprocket-s fixed to a driving shaft30.

The parts thus far'described are or may be of theusual commercialconstruction and in themselves form no part'of my present invention,which relates particularly to the also forming no part of my presentinvention.

The detector '33 is movably mounted on a stand 34 secured to-theupperend of a support 35 which is slidable in guideways in a bracket orcasing 36, firmly secured to the loom'frame 10. Arack plate 37 is fixedto the support 3521s indicated in Fig; 2.

A floating double rack bar iO'is also slidable in a guideway 41 in thebracket 36, its movement being parallel to that of the support 35. Apinion l2 engages the rack plate 37 on one side, and the double rack bar40 on' "the other side, and. is positioned vertically by a link 43conne'cted at its lower -end to a floating lever 14;.

' I The lever a l is selectively positioned vertically bypattern-controlled mechanism which is essentially a duplicate of themechanism already described for positioning the floating lever 15, thelever 44: being controlled by an additional pair of pattern levscribed,so that the rack .bar 45 nioves vertically simultaneously with thelifter rod 13.'

r The support and rack bars and inay be'a'etained in the bracket 36 inany Convenient manner, one suitable construction being indicated in Fig.3, in which the sup- I port 35 is slidable ina dovetailedguideway and inwhich the rack bars 40 and 41 are retained. in their guideways by aslotted cover plate 50. The pinion 42 is also re tained in'position bythe cover plate 50, and

is connected to its link 43 by a stud 5 1.

The chain for moving the pattern levers 28 which locate the weftdetector is preferably mounted on sprockets 55 (Fig. 5), while the chaincontrolling the lever- .28 for the drop-boxes ismounted on sprockets 56(Fig. 5). The sprockets 55 and 56 turnin unison about the shaft 30 butare preferably spaced so that the teeth of the sprockets 55 are half aspace in advance of the teeth of the sprocket 56, for a purpose to bedescribed. a The operation of my improved weft detecting mechanism is asfollows V v The pattern levers 28 for the weft detector are moved by thecorresponding pattern chain to position the floating lever 44 so as tobring the weft detector 33 opposite to the shuttle which is about tobecome. active. This movement of thelever: 44. raises or lowers thepinion 42, thus rotating the pinion' on the temporarily fixed rack 40and causing a raising or lowering ofthe rack plate 37 and oftheassociated weft detector support 35. cated opposite to the desiredshuttlebox.

The pattern levers 28 for the drop-boxes are then actuated. causing thecylinder gears to position the floating lever 15 so as to bring thedesired shuttle to running position. As the lifter rod 13 is thus raisedor lowered, the rack bar 45, which is also connected to the lever 15,will be raised or lowered a corresponding distance, causingrotation ofthe pinion 47 about its fixed pivot 48. Thisrotation of the pinion 47 inturn causes a vertical movement of the floating doublerack bar 40 in thereverse direction and corresponding movement of the rack plate 37 in thesame direction as the movement of the I rack bar 45.

size vand pitch and consequently the rack plate37 is moved inthe samedirection as the rack, bar 45 at the same time and to the same extent,thus maintaining the detector The weft detector is thuslo 33 inoperative relation with the shuttle in the selected shuttle box.

Both the pinion 42 and the rack bar 45 are moved vertically by directand positive connections from the vibrator gears. 24 which arerotated-by the positively driven'cylinder gears 26 and 27. dimple poweristhus provided for moving all parts of :the actuating boxes.

ably, made in two longitudinally disposed sect-1o'ns, ,as indicated inFig.7, one section being spaced a part of a revolution in ad- 1 C Of theother so that the, detector-1 3 'mechanism for the weft detector anddrop The cylinder gears 26 and 27 are-prefermay bemoved opposite to itsselected shuttle box before the boxes themselves begin to move; v V v aHaving thus described my invention, it will beseen that I have provideda very simple and positive mechanism for definitely locating the weftdetector in alignment with a selected shuttle box,.and for thereaftermaintaming such alignment during the movement of said shuttleboxtorunning positionf .I-Iaving attained this result, I do not wish tobe limited to the details herein disclosed otherwise than as setforth inthe'claims,

but what I claim is: v p

1. In a. weft replenishing drop-box loom,

a weft detector, pattern controlled m'eansto move said weft detectorinto alignment with a. selected shuttle box, and means for thereaftermaintaining cooperative relation of said detector and shuttle box duringmovement of the Selected. S e box to runnin position, said patterncontrolled means he ing positively actuated in both directions and beingeffective to give said ,detectorpositive positioning movements in bothupward and downward directions.

2. In a weft replenishing drop-box loom a weft detector, patterncontrolled means to move said weft detector into alignment with a.selected shuttle box, and means for thereafter maintaining cooperativerelation of said detector and shuttle box during movement of theselected shuttle box to running position, said pattern controlled meanscomprising positively actuated members, and positive gearconneetio-nsftherefrom to said weft detector, whereby said detector ismoved positively in both upward and downward directions. g A

3. In a. weft replenishing drop-box loom, a weft detector, pat-terncontrolled means to move said weft detector into alignment with aselected shuttle box, and'means for thereafter maintaining cooperativerelation of said detector and shuttle box during movement of theselected shuttle box to running position, said latter means including. apositive gear connection by which said detector is moved positively inboth upward and downward directions and through which said cooperativerelation is maintained.

4. In a weft replenishing drop-box loom, a weft detector, patterncontrolled means to move said weft detector into alignment'with a.selected shuttle box, and means for thereafter maintaining cooperativerelation of said detector and shuttle box during movement of theselected shuttle box torunning position, said pattern controlled meansincluding cylinder gears, vibrator gears selectively associatedtherewith, and positive mechanical connections between said vibratorgears and said weft detector for moving the latter to selected definitepositions and effective to move said detector positively in both upwardand downward directions.

5. In a. weft replenishing drop-box loo-m, a weft detector, a detectorstand, a vertically movable support for said stand, a fixed guideway forsaid support, a rack on said support, a floating rack bar slidableparallel to said support, a second rack bar slidable parallel to saidsupport, a pinion mounted on a fixed pivot and engaging said second.rack bar and said floating rack bar, and a second pinion engaging saidfloating rack bar and the rack on said support, said second pinion andsaid second rack bar being connected respectively to pattern controlleddevices by which they may be selectively positioned vertically.

6. A weft detector positioning mechanism as set forth in claim 5, inwhich the two pinions are of equal diameter and pitch, and in which saidsecond rack bar gives said support simultaneous vertical movements inthe game direction as the movements of said rack 7. In a weftreplenishing drop-box loom, a Weft detector, and means for selectivelypositioning said detector, said means including separate pattern chainsfor positioning the detector and the drop-boxes, and means for renderingsaid chains alternately operative.

8. In a weft replenishing drop-box loom,

a weft detector, and means for selectively positioning said detector,said means including separate pattern chains for positioning thedetector and the drop-boxes, means for rendering said chains alternatelyoperative, vibrator gears connected to actuate said weft detectorsupport and said dropboxes, and cylinder gears for moving said vibratorgears, said cylinder gears being formed in two axially disposed parts,and the toothed portion of one part being advanced angularly relative tothe toothed portion of the other, whereby the detector is selectivelypositioned before movement of the drop boxes.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto ailixed my signature,

SAMUEL A. NELSON.

